Elisabeth Hasselbeck Jokes That She Has “Low Expectations” For Mother’s Day

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INSIDER IMAGES/Gary He

The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck is encouraging moms to get outside and play with the kids — and if she can make time to do it with a schedule like hers, we can probably find a little time too. The mom of three, whose husband is NFL star Tim Hasselbeck, is partnering with Merck Consumer Care to promote the Active Family Project — a new initiative that not only inspires families to play together, but also gives parents new and fun ideas of how and where to do it.

We sat down to talk with Elisabeth about her family’s playdates, how she deals with winning and losing, and what her plans are for this Mother’s Day (hint: she's not expecting much!).

Wetpaint Moms:You and your husband seem like really active people with very hectic schedules. How do you find time to spend time together as a family?

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Both my husband and I play with our kids about 80% of the time when we’re home — we get nothing done (laughing) — and once they’re in bed, we’re wondering, ‘Oh no! How are we going to fit everything in?’ So [the Merck partnership], it’s just so fitting, it’s so important right now. We’re constantly scheduling our kids. So when you have this Active Family Project and the resources that it offers, as a parent, it’s not only a relief, it’s a great way to have fun together [as a family].

What do you and your family like to play at home together?

We do backyard baseball, basketball all of the time with the kids — football too, but that’s just a given.

How do you feel about the “everybody wins” theory that is popular these days? Do you think it’s a positive lesson for kids?

It’s painful to lose. If not done properly, the “everybody wins” philosophy basically disarms our kids as they become adults to deal with losing. And you lose a lot. I’ve lost a lot of games. You have to lose in life. It’s about recovering and getting ready for what’s next. You don’t teach good sportsmanship when everybody wins.

What are your plans for this Mother’s Day?

I leave those plans to my husband and the kids but with low expectations. I think the best thing to do is to go into Mother’s Day with low expectations and then everything’s fine [laughing]. I think it’s the perfect time to kick off the National Family Playdate. For Mother’s Day, I think [a family playtime] is a great gift — not only for moms, but for dads and kids too. In that case, it is an “everybody wins” situation... it’ll certainly be part of our weekend.